shun

verb

ˈshən 

shunned; shunning

transitive verb

: to avoid deliberately and especially habitually

shuns publicity

shunner noun

Synonyms

• avoid
• evade
• escape

Choose the Right Synonym for shun

escape, avoid, evade, elude, shun, eschew mean to get away or keep away from something.

escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent.

nothing escapes her sharp eyes

avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty.

try to avoid past errors

evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding.

evaded the question by changing the subject

elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes.

what she sees in him eludes me

shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence.

you have shunned your responsibilities

eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful.

a playwright who eschews melodrama

Examples of shun in a Sentence

He shuns parties and social events.

After his divorce he found himself being shunned by many of his former friends.

Recent Examples on the Web

The island is home to the Shompen, an indigenous people numbering between 200 and 400, who shun contact with outsiders and are among the last hunters, gatherers, and cultivators. —M. Rajshekhar, Time, 11 Sep. 2025

Where Welch embraced the spotlight, Chouinard shunned attention. —Kyle Westaway, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

Record attack drone launches are designed to overwhelm Kyiv’s defenses, and the deaths of children in the city (another infant was killed in an apartment building alongside her mother Sunday) are the one thing Trump seems to feel acutely – bar being complimented or shunned by Putin. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025

Xi was flanked by Putin and Kim, two brutal and aggressive dictators whom many nations would rather shun. —Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English shonen, shunnen, from Old English scunian

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shun

• bun
• done
• dun
• fun
• gun
• hun
• jun
• none
• nun
• one
• pun
• run

Kids Definition

shun

verb

ˈshən 

shunned; shunning

: to avoid purposely or by habit

shunned her former friends

shunner noun